HISD announces director of new K-12 Fine Arts Department

Wenden Sanders

Wenden Sanders has been appointed director of HISD’s new K–12 Fine Arts Department.

Sanders, who is currently serving as principal of Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School, was selected by a committee of teachers, principals, and district administrators. He will provide leadership, support, and direction to ensure that all HISD students have access to a high-quality fine arts education.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the fine arts to all students in HISD,” Sanders said. “I look forward to working with the Arts Access Initiative, principals, school officers, and community leaders to ensure that we are educating the whole child.”

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Texan Proud: Lamar HS ushers in groundbreaking for 80-year anniversary

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Eighty Lamar High School graduates armed with shovels lined the school’s front lawn on Thursday, eager to break ground on a new campus as they celebrated the 80th anniversary of their beloved alma mater.

Graduates spanning eight decades each had the opportunity to dig into the dirt, formally marking the start of construction on the $108 million project.

“This is an exciting day for us,” said Lamar Principal James McSwain. “It’s a day that the school community has been looking forward to for many years.”

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Three HISD students competing in WITS slam poetry contest 

Meta-Four Houston team semi-finalists.

Writers in the Schools (WITS) will hold its Space City Grand Slam poetry finals at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 2, at Discovery Green – where three HISD students are among 10 semi-finalists competing to be on the WITS Meta-Four Houston team.

Six finalists will go on to represent Houston at the 20th annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival in the San Francisco Bay Area in July.   Continue reading →

Scarborough HS community gathers to celebrate the start of construction

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Standing before a packed auditorium, Scarborough High School Principal Diego Linares thanked the school community for passing the district’s 2012 Bond Program — a move that he said began the renewal of the 50-year-old campus.

The school is making great progress, Linares said, noting that students are meeting state standards and the campus boasts of having the most Futures Academy graduates in HISD. The renovation work underway will simply serve to strengthen and complement the campus.

“We are the school that builds upon the strengths of its students, rather than focus on their deficits. We are a school that views failure as a temporary rather than permanent state,” Linares said. “Now, we can say we’re the school that’s on the verge of providing the most functional building to meet the student’s needs.”

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Superintendent joins Children At Risk to highlight positive impact of Pre-K education 

Houston Independent School District Superintendent Richard Carranza, together with superintendents from surrounding districts, joined Children At Risk on Tuesday for a press conference to bring awareness to the positive impact of early childhood education on student learning.

Children At Risk is part of a multitude of community groups that are calling on state lawmakers to put more funding into Pre-K programming. They are taking action because the state’s Pre-K grant program, which started in 2015, is not fully funded in this year’s budget legislation.   Continue reading →

HISD hosting special education parent forums 

District taking look at how to better provide services

HISD is inviting parents to three special education forums where they can ask questions and provide comments as part of a broader effort to reform special education services in the district.

The meetings will be hosted by the HISD Office of Special Education Services, which supports students with disabilities in gaining college and career readiness and independent living skills through active engagement in grade level curriculum. Continue reading →

Washington HS hosts students from Zimbabwe for science, technology learning collaborative 

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Booker T. Washington High School recently hosted a group of nearly 50 students from Zimbabwe as part of a 10-day international collaborative learning project.

The collaborative between Rydings College in Zimbabwe and Washington High School primarily was focused on science and technology and included visits to Space Center Houston and the University of Houston. Students hoped to bring back ideas on how to make wind turbines and processes for water purification.

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Excellence – Whatever it Takes: Sam Houston motto rings true as construction begins

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The excitement was palpable as the Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center Mariachi Band began to perform on Friday, formally kicking off the celebration designed to mark the start of construction on their new school.

Blustery winds didn’t stop dozens of students, teachers, parents, and alumni from gathering in the school parking lot to witness the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Sam Houston — part of the 2012 Bond Program — and catch a peek of the construction that already is underway.

“I believe strongly that our students deserve a state-of-the-art school,” Sam Houston Principal Alan Summers said. “Not only because they deserve to go to a school that looks good, but also because they deserve to be in a building that has facilities to help prepare them for life after high school.

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HISD Board president to host Hispanic Parent Summit with free workshops, resources 

Wanda Adams, HISD Board of Education President and District IX Trustee, will host a parent summit to provide Hispanic families with access to information and resources to prepare them to support their kids’ academic achievement.

The  free event will take place on Saturday, April 8 at Grissom Elementary School (4900 Simsbrook, Houston 77045) with registration starting at 7:30 a.m. Attendees will have an opportunity to participate in a parent panel and various workshops aimed to help parents and caregivers influence their children’s education. Parents will also be able to have their children screened for dyslexia, receive assistance completing FAFSA/TAFSA applications, learn about selecting the best schools for their kids, and much more.  Continue reading →

HISD Board of Education names new chief audit executive

Garland Blackwell

The Houston Independent School District Board of Education has selected Garland W. Blackwell as the district’s new chief audit executive.

Mr. Blackwell most recently served as an internal audit director for Parsons, a global engineering services firm, where he established and directed the internal audit process for its regional offices in the Middle East and Africa. He has more than 25 years of internal audit and financial experience.

“The HISD Board of Education is pleased to welcome Mr. Blackwell to our district,” said HISD Board President Wanda Adams. “He is an accomplished internal auditor who will provide critical oversight of the district and recommendations for improvement that will safeguard district resources and support our core values. It has been a priority of our board and audit committee to fill this position to ensure that integrity and transparency are maintained across the district.”

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